389 V8 Tri-Power: 1962 Pontiac Catalina
Unless you got your hands on one of the rare, race-ready Super Duty Pontiacs in 1962, the next best thing was a Catalina with a Tri-Power 389 engine. These engines were like the later 6-Packs at Chrysler, with 3×2-barrel carburetors. This beautiful example has a numbers-matching engine, but the Tri-Power was added later. Turn-key and needing nothing, this Catalina is in Madison, Connecticut, and is available for $23,900 here on craigslist. Thanks for the cool tip, Peter Rettig!
The Catalina nameplate would be one of Pontiac’s most enduring nameplates, with a 30+ year run beginning in 1950. The 1962 Pontiacs received a facelift over the 1961 design with more rounded body contours, and the 2-door hardtops received new formal rooflines featuring convertible-like bows. Though the platform for the Catalina was shared with the full-size Chevrolets, the Catalina gained an inch in wheelbase in ‘62 while the Chevies did not. That year the Catalina would get a spin-off with the new Grand Prix, a sporty/personal luxury version of the Catalina hardtop coupe.
According to the seller, this Pontiac originated in Virginia and migrated to Connecticut at least 15 years ago but doesn’t mention how long he/she has owned it. The car has never been exposed to any rust, and all the sheet metal is as it came from the factory. The paint, which looks like Mandalay Red, was reapplied several years ago and looks quite nice. The interior is not original, redone in materials borrowed from the Ventura, the performance counterpart to the Catalina back in the day.
The 389 V8 and automatic transmission are original and the car is said to run great at 87,000 miles. No mention is made if either has been opened for any work, but the Tri-Power set-up did not come from Day One, having been added later by a previous owner. We’re told the Catalina is currently registered and insured which means it sees road time at least occasionally. These were beautiful cars, better looking than either of the model years that bookended the 1962s (IMO).
Auctions Ending Soon
2006 Ford Mustang Saleen S281 SCBid Now3 hours$16,000
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now3 days$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now3 days$3,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now3 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now5 days$10,500
Comments
Had a 62 Olds Starfire with tri power as a teenager. It ran great until it scared the crap out of me when the
carb linkage went bugshit and hung up leaving the throttle wide open. My
BIL and I went for a white knuckled ride down Route 66 at over 110+ MPH! We finally got it stopped by
turning it off and coasting to the side
of the road and had it towed home.
I sold it not long after.
I know how that feels too, scary ay. 😂
Same carb linkage in my 351 Falcon due to my lack of maintenance.
Easy fix, turned engine off.
But I tried it again down the Hwy Ahhhhhhh!😂
IMO one of the most beautiful Ponchos ever – the Ventura upholstery make these sparkle however I thought it should include the Pontiac ‘V’ in its seat backs…?
As for the ’62 I think this is one example where the base version has a better behind than its more posh siblings – the Cat received the clean ‘opposed Cs /bananas/ parantheses’ taillight treatment shared with GP while the Bonnie/ Star Chief had the more elaborate ‘candy cane’ layout. This is a great specimen representing 60s Pontiac B-bodies at its finest – only thing I’m truly missing here is the T-10 which it deserves…
Boy Howdy, you got that right, my friend. It’s tough to pick a favorite Pontiac, but the ’62 was one of the best. Perhaps I’m partial, growing up with these cars( not the tri-power) but “Uncle Marv” knew what to drive. I’m one of the 9 people, that never cared for stacked headlights of ’63, even though Pontiac had the best rendition, I remember, as a kid, we all went ga-ga over the tail lights, Bonneville, more so. Pontiac had some BIG names that drove ’62 Ponchos. Junior Johnson, Fireball Roberts, David Pearson, to name just a few. It was short lived, however, as Ford blew them off the track with the 427 in ’64. Pontiac had some glory return in the 80s as rules stabilized, but never like in 1962.
GM Racing Ban 1963 – Pontiacs had no Factory Backing after that like Ford and Dodge Did > Big Difference . Also Pontiac had More HP V8’s Ready to go but GM Nixed that
Well Howard, as a long time Chev guy some Bowtie fanatics find it to be a sign of treason that I’ve also developed a deep fascination for the other divisions’ B-body versions. The 60s must’ve been such a fantastic era to be a new car buyer, and it’s truly fascinating just how BOP – perhaps Pontiac in particular – managed to churn out so diverse variants over a shared basic shell. While they all show signs of similarity they’re still both visually and technically different pushing each divisions’ unique features.
Not like today’s new vehicles which all resemble identical bars of soap regardless of brand or country of origin – available in your choice of whole 3(!) variants of ‘dust’…
Didn’t FORD come out with the 427 in ’63? Did they race the 427 in ’63?
These and the 66 GTO are my favorites.
If only for a clutch and a/c it would be perfect.
Nice color combo! Tough choice picking a ’62 Catalina or ’62 Imp. Would have to buy both then!
If it had the 421 and four speed..I’d be a buyer..
You and about 500 others.
There was a time when I had drinking buddies to hang with (thank god those days are long gone) one of those guys had a 62 Catalina that was a fairly fast car. He thought it was the fastest car ever until one night at a bar we met these guys that had a 57 Chevy with a 401 Buick nail head and 4 speed. He still thought he could beat them so we all head out to a little used highway with a long straight stretch for the race. From the start all my friend saw was the taillights of the Chevy. The next day he sold the Poncho.
These cars have one of the nicest looking dashes of any car ever in my opinion.
God Bless America
lol ya right – a SD-421 Catalina would have Blown the doors of That Buick Chevy
He never specified that it was a 421 car, Im guessing it was not.
I don’t know if it was an SD or not, but long, long ago, back in Florida, some fellows I knew plopped a 421 into a 1961 Corvette. The car was insanely fast but didn’t steer so well and a telephone pole jumped out in front of it. End of Corvette. The engine survived after some repairs, so they next put it into a ’55 T-Bird. Those were the days.
I love the 62 Catalina but I hate to see someone cut corners on a nice car. Lose the china police car caps, invest in a set of 8 lugs and put in the original Ventura interior.
I hate those wheels and the heater hoses. Wish it had a manual trans, would be fun.
I’m an old Pontiac fan from back in my high school days. I had a 1955 Chev convert. (daily driver) and a 1947 Hudson Club Coupe. (project car) And one of my buddies had a 1957 Chev convert. (His project car) and a 1957 Pontiac Catalina. (daily driver) The Pontiac had 3 deuces and a 4 speed among other modifications and we were neck and neck with a 1964 GTO when the police stopped our fun. I then ended up working at a Pontiac store while still in college when we regularly saw and drove 455 GTOs, 455SD Firebirds, etc. So when I visited Bill’s Backyard Classics in Amarillo Texas I was in heaven! Bill, has a very vast collection, but he has a very soft spot in his head for early ’60s Pontiacs. (I never realized how many 4 speed “B” body Pontiacs existed. ) So, if you are a car freak and love old Pontiacs it is somewhere you have to stop and see.
As a side note: Niel Young is an old Pontiac freak and a few of his cars are there also. Also all the cars there are registered and driven at least once a month. So these are not trailer/museum queens. All tours are individually guided. There was a very nice, very young man that gave us our tour. Being an old Pontiac gear head, I kept asking him questions trying to trip him up or trying to find the bottom of his Pontiac knowledge. HE KNEW IT ALL! Very impressive!